Sins Past
by Jardia
Summary: Het and Shonen-ai Romance. Hyuga Neji has been in love with Hinata for a long time, will he find the courage to tell her how he feels before she finds someone else? Various Pairings.
1. Chapter One Late Night Musings

**Title:** Sins Past  
**Author:** Jardia  
**Pairings:** NejixHinata, IkuraxKakashi, SasukexSakura  
**Warnings:** Contains shonen-ai (boys falling in love with boys) as well as het (boys falling in love with girls). Hell, I might even add shoujo-ai... so if you have a problem... go away now please.  
**Notes:** Just a little thing I thought up after watching Naruto. New Chapters every Monday. If you like it, please drop a quick review and let me know. If you don't, leave a quick review and let me know why not. I need attention desperately, can you tell?

**** 

**Chapter One** - Late Night Musings 

"Neji." Tenten's voice was soft as she stepped outside to stand beside him. It was raining, and he'd been standing on the balcony for the last ten minutes, getting soaked. "What is it?" She looked out at the sleeping village. All was dark except for the odd flickering light in a window. In this weather the street lamps could not stay lit. 

"She's back." Neji said, his voice equally quiet. His gaze was intense, his body very stiff. He looked ready to jump off the balcony at any moment. 

"Who?" Tenten wondered aloud, blinking the rain out of her eyes as she tried to see what he was seeing. But she couldn't see anything at all. There was no movement out there. 

"Her." He breathed, and then he suddenly moved, grabbing the railing and jumping off the balcony. 

Tenten was able to follow him only briefly with her eyes, and then he was gone. A leaf on a tree he'd passed quivering and then slowly falling to the ground. She sighed, walking back into the house. She had no intention of standing out there soaking herself just to try and figure out what was going on. 

It was too cold for her, and besides, it was late and she needed some sleep. 

**** 

It hurt. It always hurt. Hinata placed her hand over her heart, panting softly as she slowly made her way into the village and toward the apartment where she lived with Shino and Kiba. After reaching Chuunin level, the three had decided to move in together. To save on living costs, and because they liked to be close. That's what happened when you spent all your time with certain people. You became attached to them. 

This last mission had been a one man mission, and Hinata had agreed to take it because it seemed simple enough. Somehow, though, things had gone wrong. She completed the mission, if only just barely, and now she was injured and she needed to get home so her teammates could help her deal with the injuries. 

She stumbled, dropping to her knees. She was so tired. She leaned forward until her forehead hit the muddy earth. She was tempted to stay right where she was. She had wrapped her wounds, so she probably wouldn't bleed to death. Someone would surely find her in the morning. Right? 

What would one night out in the rain, laying in the mud, do anyway? It wouldn't kill her. 

"Are you hurt?" A rough, anxious voice. 

Confused, Hinata raised her head, trying to see who was speaking to her. But her vision was so fuzzy all she could see was a black form standing in front of her. A form that was kneeling now. 

Hands touched her face, "My lady? Are you all right?" 

Hinata had no energy to respond. She must be dreaming after all. He wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be helping her or talking to her so kindly. She closed her eyes, listening to that voice calling her name anxiously and just before the darkness so kindly wrapped around her she thought she heard her name. 

"Hinata!" 

**** 

"I don't like it." Iruka said under his breath. He was laying in bed, blankets pulled up to his chin, glowering at the ceiling. 

Beside him, Hatake Kikashi sighed heavily. He had been listening to Iruka toss, turn and grumble all night, and quite frankly he was growing tired of it. "All right, Umi . . . " He growled, "Either tell me what is bugging your butt, or shut up so I can sleep." 

Iruka sighed heavily, "Naruto. Sasuke. Sakura. I don't like it." 

"What about it don't you like?" Kakashi murmured irritably. 

"Sasuke and Sakura are together now, but Naruto has loved her for a long time. He's been withdrawing more and more every day, hiding from the reality he doesn't want to face. And I don't like it." 

Kakashi groaned, rolling over and sliding his arm around Iruka's waist, "Umi . . . they're not little kids anymore. You have to let them figure out their problems on their own." 

"But Hata-" 

"No buts. It's the truth. You know it. Now shut up, stop worrying, and get some sleep." 

Iruka glowered at Kakashi, before nodding and closing his eyes. They lay in silence for some time, before he shifted, placing his hands over Kakashi's arm, "I just don't like to see Naruto hurting." He whispered. 

"Naruto's strong. He'll bounce back just fine." "I'm not so sure." 

"Don't underestimate him, Umi. You're not doing him any favors when you think he's a fool who can't handle his own heart." 

"I didn't say that!" 

"You didn't need to." 

The silence this time was tense, for Iruka at least. Kakashi was too tired to worry if he'd offended his young lover. He knew Iruka well enough, by now, to recognize that Iruka was being over protective. Iruka was always overprotective of Naruto. 

It was kind of sweet, how Iruka saw Naruto as his child, but at times it could be annoying as well. Naruto had just turned nineteen. He was no baby. He'd seen more than Iruka ever had at that age, and in many ways he understood his heart better than most kids his age. 

"I'm just worried about him." Iruka sighed heavily. 

"We'll ask him to stay with us for a few days, all right, Umi?" 

Iruka nodded, "Yeah . . . we'll do that." 

"Good. Now sleep." 

"I-" Kakashi slapped his hand over Iruka's mouth. 

Iruka struggled for a moment, then gave up. He shot Kakashi a glare, then closed his eyes and sighed heavily. 

Kakashi waited until he was certain Iruka was sleeping, then he took his hand off Iruka's mouth and let it rest on Iruka's chest instead. 

He wasn't worried about Naruto himself. Young hearts got broken. That was life. No body had ever died of a broken heart, at least, not anyone like Naruto. In reality Kakashi was more concerned for Sakura than he was for Naruto, because the girl was in the black books of every eligible female in the village. Sasuke had been a female favorite for some time now, and his being claimed by Sakura was something every girl knew. 

Kakashi kissed Iruka's cheek, smiling and shaking his head. Great. 

Now Iruka was sleeping peacefully and he was the one awake and thinking too much. He was tempted to wake Iruka up, but he didn't want to hear more about poor Naruto. Poor, suffering Naruto. Obviously Iruka hadn't noticed that Naruto was gay, or that Naruto had never really loved Sakura. Oh well. He'd figure it out when they went out to find Naruto and ask him over. 

**** 

"Hey Shino . . . " 

"Hm?" 

"You know what today is?" 

"Hm?" 

"Last day we'll have alone . . . Hinata will be back tomorrow." 

"Hm?" 

Kiba sighed, moving off his chair and walking across the room. He dropped to his knees beside Shino's chair, "Last night of privacy, Shino." Kiba said pointedly, waiting for his dense lover to realize what he was hinting at. 

Shino smirked, and even though the collar of his jacket hid the lower half of his face, Kiba knew Shino was smirking. "Brat." Kiba grumbled, leaning close. 

Shino reached up, running his fingers through Kiba's short, rough brown hair. "You talk too much, Kiba." He said quietly. 

"Yeah, but that's why you love me." Kiba grinned. 

Their lips were just a breath apart, when there was a loud banging at the door, "Aburame! Inuzaka! Hurry!" A voice shouted from behind the door. 

Kiba swore, jumping to his feet and moving to the door. He swung it open, "What the. ! ? Hinata!" 

In the doorway stood Hyuga Neji and in his arms was Hinata. They were both soaking wet, and Hinata was out cold. "What the hell did you do to her!?" Kiba snapped, immediately taking Hinata out of Neji's grasp. 

Neji gave her up willingly enough, and before Kiba could press him further the dark man was gone. Swearing under his breath, Kiba kicked the door closed and hurried to the bedroom, "Shino! Grab the med kit!" He shouted on his way. 

Hinata's wounds were not life threatening, really the rain was more of a threat than anything else. Together Shino and Kiba stripped her and treated her various cuts and bruises, then, while Kiba was wrapping her leg, where the worst damage was, Shino ran the bath water. 

Hinata woke as Kiba carried her into the bathroom and gently lay her in the tub. She shivered as the warmth surrounded her, "Ki . . . ba?" 

"Yeah. It's me, babe. Just relax." Kiba said gently, patting her on the head. 

She sighed and leaned back until her head hit the wall. "Not cold." She muttered. 

"Like hell you're not." Kiba snorted, "So . . . mission didn't go well?" He added in a softer tone. 

"It was fine." Hinata slid down until she was completely submerged, only her head sticking out of the water. The heat felt so good. 

"Yeah right. That's why you look like shit." 

Hinata laughed a little, then closed her eyes. She was really tired. She realized that she'd passed out back there, but she didn't care. She was safe now, so what did it matter? "How'd I get here?" She asked curiously. 

There had been a man. A dark figure. She had thought, for a moment, it was Hyuga Neji, but he hated her. No way would he carry her across town to her apartment. 

"You walked, I imagine . . . or do you mean here to the apartment? Actually, Neji carried you here." Kiba rubbed the back of his head, "When did you run into him?" 

But Hinata had slipped back into sleep. Kiba sighed, shaking his head. He noticed a small bug crawling up the side of the tub and turned to see Shino standing in the doorway. "You're carrying her back to the bed!" 

Shino just shook his head slowly, "Is it bad?" 

"Nah. She's had worse." Kiba shrugged, "She'll probably have one hell of a cold in the morning though," he snickered, "serves her right for hanging out in the rain." 

**** 

Naruto woke with a pained cry. He sat up, burying his head in his hands, panting for air. The dream again. The dream where the demon fox finally won. Where it's careful cage broke and it ate Naruto's soul. He'd been having the dream every night for the last week, and he was tired of it. 

He dropped back onto the bed, glowering at the ceiling, "Dammit." He snapped under his breath. 

The demon fox would never take control of him. It just wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let it. So what was with the dreams? Dreams were supposed to be a reflection of your subconscious fears, right? But he wasn't afraid of that happening. 

He didn't want to dwell on it. It was hard not to. What else could he think about? Naruto chewed on his bottom lip. He could think about Sasuke and Sakura, but that irritated him just as much as thoughts of the demon fox. So that was a no go. 

Ramen noodles. 

Yeah. He'd think about ramen noodles. He loved ramen noodles. They were juicy and warm. They slipped all the way down to your stomach, like a fat worm. Oh yeah, that was appetizing. Maybe he'd better think about something other than food, because thinking about noodles was making him hungry. 

Iruka and Kakashi. Now that had been a surprise. He'd never suspected a thing, but last week he'd come home from a mission early and walked in on Kakashi and Iruka making out in Iruka's living room. 

He'd nearly died on the spot. Actually, he remembered screaming and running around like an idiot. Kakashi had smacked him in the head, and then calmly explained that what he'd seen was none of his damn business and he'd better not tell anyone about it. 

Who would Naruto tell? He didn't really know many people that he trusted. Sasuke, Sakura, Iruka, Kakashi and . . . well, that was it. And right now he wasn't talking to Sasuke or Sakura and what was he going to do? Run up to Iruka and cry; 'Guess what? I saw Iruka and Kakashi kissing!'... Yeah. Right. That was a good idea. 

Naruto slowly closed his eyes. He was starting to feel tired already. His lips tilted in a small smile. He must be boring himself to sleep. Not surprising, somehow. He had been a bit boring lately. Moping around, thinking about nightmares and lost love. 

What he needed was something exciting and new. 

Yeah. 

Like a new enemy to battle with, or maybe a new rival. 

With a great yawn Naruto rolled onto his side and fell right back into sleep. This time it was blissfully dreamless. 

**** 

"Neji . . . you're wet." 

Neji ignored her comment, walking past his friend and up the stairs to his room. Tenten sighed, shaking her head. She and Neji had been dating for the last three months, and living together for two, and yet she still didn't understand him. Sometimes she wondered why she stayed with him. 

They really weren't very suited, and he refused to open up to her. She sighed, dropping onto the couch and running a hand through her hair. She'd stick around. Maybe he'd learn to open up. She did like him. She wouldn't give up on him. 

She could hear the shower, and she closed her eyes. //C'mon Neji . . . don't hide from me. Please.// 

**** 

"Pfft . . . well . . . she's asleep." Kiba sighed, dropping onto the couch and yawning. 

Shino sat beside him, quiet as ever. Kiba didn't mind Shino's silence though, he'd learnt how to read Shino though his actions instead of his words. "Bizarre night, eh? Who would've thought we'd open the door and find none other than Hyuga Neji with our Hina." 

"Hm." Shino responded, quite predictably. 

"Geez . . . I wonder . . . I didn't think he liked her at all. In fact, before tonight, I would have said that given this situation he would have left her out there. Walked right on by." 

"Hm." 

"I wonder what's up with that?" 

"I don't think he ever hated Hinata." Shino said quietly, "He hated what she stood for, but not her." 

"You could've fooled me. He nearly killed her that time." 

"He held back. Until the end. He warned her, as well, not to fight." 

"He's a bastard!" 

"You don't know him." 

"Why are you standing up for him anyway!?" Kiba, at this point, was shouting. 

"You judge too harshly, Kiba." Shino got to his feet and he walked calmly toward the stairs. 

"Wait a minute! I'm yelling at you! Get back here!" "You will wake the dead, Kiba. I am going to sleep." Shino walked up the stairs, not looking back at Kiba, who was fuming. 

Kiba had always had a short temper, especially when it came to protecting his friends. He sat on the couch, grumbling under his breath about Shino not knowing what was coming and going. 

****

Hinata Hyuga. Neji had liked her from a very young age. The first time he saw her really. When most boy's his age were disgusted by little girls, he had thought Hinata was cute. And at first he had been happy to protect her. Then his father had died and everything changed. His anger and hatred for the Hyuga main family grew to the point that he hated even Hinata. 

Sweet, innocent Hinata who hadn't done anything to him. At first his anger had taken form merely in resenting her from afar, but then the day of the Chuunin preliminaries came. That day he would never forget. He would have killed her that day, if the referee hadn't stopped the match. As it was, he injured her so badly she nearly did die. 

That day changed everything for him. After Hiashi had spoken to him, and given him the letter from his father, Neji had begun to see things differently and his hatred, the hatred that had blinded him so long, slowly began to fade. 

But it was too late. Even if he had changed, Hinata was too scared of him to even look at him. 

He loved her. In some ways he always had. He recognized, though, that she would never forgive him for what he'd done. How could she? He didn't blame her in the least. All he could do was protect her from afar and hope that one day she would be happy. 

The only problem was . . . 

He didn't know if he could stand watching her fall in love with someone other than him. 

**** 

End Chapter One 


	2. Chapter Two Early Morning Plans

**Title:** Sins Past  
**Author:** Jardia  
**Pairings:** NejixHinata, IkuraxKakashi, SasukexSakura  
**Warnings:** Contains shonen-ai (boys falling in love with boys) as well as het (boys falling in love with girls). Hell, I might even add shoujo-ai . . . so if you have a problem . . . go away now please.  
**Notes:** Just a little thing I thought up after watching Naruto. New Chapters every Monday. If you like it, please drop a quick review and let me know. If you don't, leave a quick review and let me know why not. I need attention desperately, can you tell?  
**Reviews: ** I'm a lazy prat and I didn't feel like using my email. Doesn't help that this has been the week from hell but eh... I wanted to say thanks to the people who reviewed. 

Kawai Rosh - No worries. Updates every Monday so you won't have to worry about when I'm continuing. And the update will happen every Monday, even if I have to post half a chapter. I know how frustrating it can be to wait forever. Thank you for the review. 

Kasiree - Well thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Who knows, maybe you'll start liking Neji and Hinata... perhaps not together in a couple, but maybe you'll like them? Thank you for the review. 

Morien Alexander - I have been told before that I'm best at conversation, so thank you. I like giving characters little quirks and I try to make them as close to the anime as possible and yet... with little differences. Since they have grown up a bit and in that time I'm sure they've been through a lot. Anyway, thanks for the review. 

sir omes - Well, I can tell you Naruto will find someone. I have a bad habit of writing rather epic fics. I like to include everyone. But I won't reveal my secrets just yet. Thank you for the review. 

Mana Angel - Hey! A stalker. Are you a cute stalker? Here, I'll just open the curtains so you can stalk more efficiently. Don't be shy now... ;) And btw, thank you for the review. 

**** 

**Chapter Two** - _Early Morning Plans_

He had never known love. From a very young age he had only been exposed to hatred and fear. A few years ago, however, he had seen love for the first time. That encounter had changed him. The change was not immediate, of course. It happened over an extended period of time. Slowly he began to appreciate Kankarou and Temari more. They had never been very kind to him, but they hadn't been as cruel as some people. They were his siblings, and they were the only people who looked at him with something other than disgust. 

He wanted love though. 

He wanted the kind of love that made you give your life freely. The intense, burning, aching need to protect kind of love. That's what he wanted. He wasn't sure how one went about getting it, but he wanted to look for it. He needed to find it. 

"Gaara?" 

Gaara lifted his head, looking at his sister, Temari. She and Kankarou had gotten ahead of him. He had stopped walking while he thought, gazing sightlessly at the ground. He studied them for a moment, then turned on his heel and headed into the trees, off the path they'd been following. 

"Gaara!?" 

"Where are you going!?" 

They had a mission, but Gaara had decided he didn't want to do it. He was tired of missions. He was tired of death. He knew where he'd seen love before, and so he would go to that boy . . . or man? And he would learn. 

**** 

It was the sunlight on his face that woke Shikamaru, though, in reality, it should have been the person leaning over him, staring intently into his face. Slowly but surely Shikamaru blinked his eyes open, yawning and seeing Chouji leaning over him but not really paying any attention . . . at first, anyway. Then a crumb from the chocolate bar Shikamaru was munching on fell on his cheek and he scowled. 

"Chouji . . . what ARE you doing?" Shikamaru growled. 

"Eating." 

"Yeah, but why are you eating on me?" 

Chouji grinned, "Ino asked me to wake you up." 

"Why, exactly?" 

"She has a plan. She needs your help." 

Shikamaru groaned loudly, "What a bother." 

Chouji shrugged, finishing his chocolate bar and getting to his feet. He needed new snacks. He headed for the door. Shikamaru watched him walk out, and he couldn't help but marvel. For the amount of food Chouji ate, he was surprised Chouji wasn't much bigger than he already was. Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his face and yawning loudly. 

A lot of his classmates, who had actually passed the ninja exams, lived with their team members from childhood. He, Chouji and Ino were the exceptions. Shikamaru couldn't imagine actually living with those idiots. He was quite certain they would drive him insane. Chouji wasn't too bad, except for the messes he left behind, but Ino was loud, and obnoxious. If they weren't friends already, he wouldn't hang out with her at all. 

Shikamaru sat up, stretching and rubbing the back of his neck. He really didn't want to know what sort of plan Ino had. The girl had been going crazy since hearing the news that Sasuke and Sakura had moved in together. She was being even more obnoxious than usual about the whole deal. Shikamaru couldn't understand it. If Sasuke and Sakura were in love, then leave them be. 

He slid his legs off the bed and stood up. The trick was, to move as slowly as possible. Maybe Ino would get impatient and leave before he made it down the stairs. 

But knowing his luck she'd be there, and he'd have to listen to her stupid plans while he ate his breakfast. That is, if there was any food left in his house. He wondered how long Chouji had been around. 

**** 

Tenten had fallen asleep on the couch. Neji found her shivering lightly, so he grabbed a blanket and lay it over her. He stood over her, just watching her sleeping face for a few moments. People weren't normally very attractive when they slept. Tenten was no exception. He shook his head and left her there while he made breakfast in the kitchen. He wasn't the best cook, but he could at least make some oatmeal. 

He needed to eat before he left to train. In a few months the newest academy members would be graduating and he, as a jounin, had been asked to take on a team of genin's. He had agreed. It paid well, and he wanted a break from the A missions he had been taking lately. 

As he prepared his breakfast, he found himself thinking about Hinata. He was worried about her. She really hadn't looked very good last night. He didn't want her to be hurt. He really hated the idea that she was allowed to go on dangerous missions alone. She was only a Chuunin, and from what he'd heard not a very good Chuunin. Though that wasn't surprising. Hinata never had been very good at being a ninja. It just wasn't her thing, but as a Hyuga she had been pushed into it. 

Neji was just boiling the water to cook his oatmeal in when Rock Lee strode into the room. "Morning, Neji." He said, cheerfully enough. 

Lee had a few problems. Since being seriously injured, years back, in a battle with Gaara of the Sand village, Lee had been training to become a ninja again. But no matter how hard he worked, the Hokage refused to reinstate him as a genin. It was very frustrating for Lee, who's only dream in life was to be the best ninja he could be. Tenten had told Neji a few days ago that she was worried Lee was drinking, so Neji found himself watching Lee very closely. 

"Lee." Neji poured the oatmeal into the pot, putting enough in for Tenten, Lee and himself. 

"Tenten still asleep?" Lee asked, hopping up onto a counter and watching Neji. 

"Yes." Neji stirred the oatmeal a bit, then leaned against a nearby counter. 

"You heard about Sasuke and Sakura?" 

"I did." Lee had a crush on Sakura for a long time, though it seemed there were many people crushing on the girl. Neji didn't understand the attraction. Sakura was intelligent, but in all honesty she wasn't very cute, strong or even interesting. 

"Everybody was a little surprised by that. I never really thought Sasuke would ever notice her." Lee murmured, but he seemed more baffled than upset. 

"Public faces rarely reveal the truth." 

"Eh?" Lee blinked at Neji, looking more baffled than ever. 

Neji sighed, glancing up at the ceiling. He noted, idly, that it was yellowish in areas and probably needed to be washed, "We all wear a public face. Sasuke's hid his feelings. He might have cared for Sakura all along, but he hid it behind his mask." 

"Oh. I never understand stuff like that." 

"You have no public face." Neji said quietly, and it was true. Lee had always shown the world exactly what he was. He never hid his true nature. Neji could respect that, in some way people who hid behind masks were just afraid. 

"I didn't have the energy to make one." Lee murmured, hopping off the counter, "I'll go wake Tenten. She promised she'd train with me today." 

"Lee?" 

"Yeah?" Lee looked back at Neji curiously. 

"I will join you, if you'd like." 

Lee smiled, "Yeah. I'd like that." 

**** 

Iruka had a bad habit of drooling in his sleep. Now, some might find this unattractive, but Kakashi just found it amusing. He leaned down, pinching Iruka's cheek, "Hey." 

Iruka jerked, eyes snapping open, "OW~!" 

Kakashi grinned, patting Iruka's now red cheek. "I'm off to work." 

Iruka pushed Kakashi's hand away. "What time is it?" Kakashi grinned, "Time for you to be at work." 

"Why didn't you wake me!?" Iruka sat up quickly, face flushing with his anger. 

"I wasn't awake?" Kakashi chuckled, "I have to run. I'll see you later, Umi." He patted Iruka on the head, then walked to the door. "KAKASHI! You turned the alarm off! Didn't you?!" Iruka shouted, throwing a pillow at Kakashi's retreating form. 

Kakashi was the only person in the world who could so easily make Iruka lose his temper. For the most part Iruka was a fairly calm person. He'd wasted most of his energy during his childhood. But Kakashi made him feel like a kid again, and he really couldn't decide if that was good or bad. He was leaning toward bad. 

He hopped out of the bed and ran around the room, hurriedly pulling all his clothes on. 

**** 

"You're seriously screwed up, you know that, don't you?" 

Naruto paused in devouring his ramen noodles to look at the serving lady, Anne, oddly. "What do you mean?" 

"Noodles? For breakfast?" She responded, smiling. 

"Heh," Naruto grinned right back at her, "I didn't feel like cooking." 

"And now that you're a Jounin you can afford to buy it, right?" 

"EH? Something like that." Naruto muttered. In reality he had woken up with a strange craving for noodles. Probably because he'd spent most of the evening thinking about them. It was true that as a Jounin he made more money and as a result could actually afford to eat what he wanted, when he wanted. 

Anne shook her head and walked away, leaving him to it. Naruto finished the noodles and pushed them aside. When Anne moved to refill the bowl, he shook his head, "No, that's okay." 

"You feeling all right, Naruto?" 

"I'm fine." Naruto smiled, hopping off his chair, "I need to run." 

"Wow! You're even going to be early for something!?" "Nope. I'm already two hours late." 

Anne laughed, waving at him as he walked out. She shook her head, smiling. She was fond of him. Things just wouldn't be the same around here without him. 

**** 

Hinata woke to a pounding headache. She knew immediately that she had a cold. She could tell by how blocked her nose felt and the thick, heavy, gunky feel of mucous built up in the back of her throat. She groaned, rolling to her side. She dimly remembered last night, but by now it was really fuzzy. She was glad to be home, and yet at the same time she was a little unsettled. She didn't feel comfortable in Konoha. There were too many people here who made her feel bad. 

People who made her doubt herself. She sat up, running a hand through her hair. She really felt like someone had put her through the ringer. Something soft brushed her hand and she looked down, smiling when she saw the big white teddy bear sitting beside her on the bed. "Kiba." She laughed, picking it up and placing it in her lap. "Hello. My name is Hinata Hyuga . . . who are you?" 

"My name is Teddy." A high, squeaky voice murmured. 

Hinata gasped, then glanced up and glowered at Kiba, who was standing in the doorway. "Hey cute cheeks! About time you woke up!" 

Hinata laughed, "Kiba! What is this?" She held the teddy bear up with one hand, shaking it in his direction. 

"A get well teddy, for a real bear." Kiba grinned, "C'mon. Shino made breakfast. You'll break his heart if you don't at least try to eat it." 

"Hey, Kiba. Be nice. Shino is a better cook than you." Hinata said, putting the bear on her pillow and then sliding her legs off the bed. She stretched, getting to her feet. "Ah . . . I feel horrible." 

"I bet you have one nasty cold. Just stay away from me chickie, I don't want to get sick as well." Kiba left the room so she could get dressed. 

He'd left another fuzzy critter behind though. Hinata laughed as Akamaru barked at her heels. "Sorry, guy, I forgot about you for a minute." She crouched down, petting his head, "You look well." 

Akamaru licked her face and she smiled, letting him hop onto her head. Her sides protested as she stood back up. She hugged herself as she made her way carefully to the dresser, "So . . . what should I wear today, Akamaru?" 

**** 

"You want to what?" Shikamaru groaned, looking at his carrot stick with a frown. Somehow he'd just lost whatever appetite he'd had, which wasn't much. 

"I want to kill Sakura!" 

"No! The part before that." 

Ino grinned, "We're going to break Sasuke and Sakura up, before he does something stupid like propose to her." 

Shikamaru took a big bite of the carrot, chewing slowly before he spoke. He swallowed, licked his lips and looked at her, "You're serious?" 

"And you guys have to help me. I need you, Chouji, to get her away from Sasuke for a while, and then Shikamaru, you can bind her and then I'll enter her and I'll go to Sasuke and-" 

"No way." Shikamaru shook his head, "There is no way I'm having any part in this." 

"You have to help me!" Ino cried, "Sasuke and I belong together! He's just been blind sided by that bimbo!" 

"Ino! Dammit! Wake up and smell the coffee! Sasuke really likes Sakura. He hasn't been blind sided!" Shikamaru snapped, tossing the last of his carrot at Chouji, who gladly caught it and ate it. 

"That's not true! He loves ME! He just doesn't know it y-" 

Shikamaru got to his feet, "You're an idiot, Ino. They're together, get used to it, and get over him already. He's not that great anyway." With an angry snort he turned and left the room. He'd gotten up for that? Geez. That Ino really could be an idiot sometimes. 

Ino stared at Shikamaru then she looked at Chouji, "Wow." 

Chouji looked a little startled as well. Shikamaru was one of the calmest people he knew. The guy was usually too lazy to get upset about anything. He finished the last of Shikamaru's carrot, then went back to eating his chips, "I'll help." 

"It's no good. My plan won't work without Shikamaru." 

"Sorry, Ino, but I don't think he'll do it." 

"We'll have to find some way to convince him." Ino said, sitting back and pulling her ponytail over her shoulder. Her hair had finally grown back. She loved it long and really didn't want to go short ever again. 

Chouji looked at her oddly, wondering what she was thinking now, and then he shrugged. He didn't care. Ino was usually up to no good, and he'd gotten used to her mad schemes by now. 

**** 

Tenten's back hurt. She had slept in a very uncomfortable position. She sat up slowly, carefully. She could smell oatmeal, and she could hear soft voices nearby. She rubbed her eyes. She really shouldn't have allowed herself to fall asleep on the couch. It was a nice couch to sit on, but like most couches it just wasn't made for sleeping on. 

"Neji?" She called, wondering whom he was talking to. 

A few minutes later Lee walked in and she smiled at him. Lee, Neji and she were best friends. They'd been together since they were just kids. "Hey Lee." 

"Hey Tenten." Lee smiled, sitting down beside Tenten, pushing her over a little. He wrapped his arm easily around her shoulders. 

"Oh man . . . I'm sorry, Lee. I can't train with you today. I have a mission. I have to leave later this afternoon." Tenten said, "I forgot to tell you but I just got the mission yesterday, before coming home." 

Lee nodded, "That's fine, Neji and I are going to train." 

"Neji and you . . . ?" It had been a long time since Neji and Lee trained together. Lee hadn't wanted to train with Neji, because he didn't want Neji to see his weakness. She wondered what had changed his heart. 

"Yeah." 

Neji walked in, carrying a tray with three bowls on it. "Oatmeal." He said, putting the tray down and handing a bowl to Tenten. 

"Thanks, Neji." Tenten smiled at him, taking the bowl and sniffing it. "Um . . . " 

"It's not undercooked." Neji said, seeing her expression and just knowing what she was thinking. 

Tenten nodded, "All right, I'll trust you." 

Lee chuckled, grabbing a bowl for himself and sitting back so he could eat. He released Tenten, trying a spoonful of oatmeal. "Hmm . . . yeah, that tastes good. You put raisins in here?" 

"Neji has a thing with raisins." Tenten said with a smirk, "He puts them in everything." 

Neji looked at her sharply, shaking his head, "I don't." 

"He does." Tenten said softly to Lee, behaving as if Neji couldn't hear her if she kept her voice low. Of course, he could, "Raisins on the oatmeal, raisins on the pancakes . . . " 

Neji ate his oatmeal quietly, not bothering to argue with her. His silence didn't bother Lee or Tenten. They were used to it. She was exaggerating and he knew it was just her way of teasing him. She tried, as much as she could, to make him smile. That was her thing. There was the odd time her teasing actually succeeded but it wasn't often. Neji hadn't had much reason to smile, especially not lately. 

Life seemed to get more complicated with age, rather than easier. 

The current source of all of Neji's stress was none other than Hinata Hyuga . . . his young cousin. The problem was, he knew there was no way to ever fix things between them, and he wasn't sure he'd ever stop caring for her. He just didn't know what to do. He glanced at Tenten. He wasn't giving her what she deserved. Tenten deserved to be dating someone who actually cared for her as something more than a friend. But he knew she cared about him, and he just didn't want to push her away. 

**** 

Naruto had a small mission, if it was a real mission he would have classified it as a D-class, but it wasn't a 'real' mission so to speak. It was more of a favor. The Hokage had a small problem with his grandson, who had been disappearing for hours in the evening. Konohamaru was up to no good. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. So Naruto had agreed to follow the little brat around and figure out what he was up to. Not that Konohamaru was little anymore. He was just about ready to graduate from the academy really. But he would always be a little brat in Naruto's head. 

Naruto munched on a chocolate bar as he perched on a branch, watching Konohamaru talk with his friends. He'd follow Konohamaru around all day, and then hopefully he'd find clues as to what the kid was up to. He'd probably have to follow him around tonight too, but he didn't mind. It would give him something to do, other than sleep . . . and dream. 

**** 

"Sasuke?" Sakura murmured, sliding her arm through his. 

He stiffened slightly but he didn't pull away, "Yeah?" 

"Why is Naruto perched in that tree?" 

Sasuke looked up, frowning when he saw the blond idiot munching on a chocolate bar high up in a tree. Now, Naruto was a jounin shinobi, so he was hidden well, but not well enough to hide from other jounin. "I don't care." Sasuke muttered. 

"Eh?" Sakura looked at him, walking with him as he continued down the street toward the academy. She was a teacher there, and he was considering a position. There were only so many A-class missions and after awhile you had to find some other way to keep yourself busy. Not that Sakura was a jounin, she had never passed that test, but shinobi at Chuunin level were allowed to teach, so that's what she did. She was better suited to teaching. Missions had never been her thing. "I'm just curious. I haven't seen him around lately. Maybe we should go say hi." 

"He's obviously on a mission. Leave him." 

Sakura didn't say anything else. She could tell by his tone that he wasn't keen on talking. She glanced back at the tree, sighing. She missed Naruto. Sure, when they were younger she'd just found him to be irritating and a huge nuisance, but she'd gotten used to him. She would have to go by his house tonight, and maybe she'd drag Sasuke along. She wasn't sure why those two had stopped talking, but she knew they could get over it. 

No matter what they were still friends. 

Nothing would change that. Right? 

**** 

"Hi Shino." Hinata sat down at the table, gladly accepting the plate of pancakes Kiba pushed in front of her, "Thank you, Kiba!" Shino nodded, "Hinata." He had no food in front of him, but Hinata wasn't surprised. In all the years she'd known Shino she had never seen his face. He never ate in front of her and never removed his jacket. "Who made these?" 

"I did." Kiba said, "With Shino's help, so they are edible." He grinned. 

Hinata laughed, "I was just curious. Last I checked you didn't even like pancakes." 

"Shino changed my mind." 

Hinata nodded, "Well . . . thank you Shino." She said cheerfully. 

Shino nodded, getting to his feet. He headed across the room and out the door without saying a word. Hinata smiled, "You guys had a nice time without me?" 

"Yeah, it was fine, but we missed you Hina." 

"I'm back now. No need to miss me anymore." 

**** 

End of Chapter Two 


End file.
